YWTGU -Chapter 5 If You Don’t Come Closer, How Am I Supposed to Tell You?

Night had already fallen, yet the Number One Scholar’s residence lay in utter silence.

Yawning, Li An returned to his bedchamber and, without the slightest hesitation, flopped down onto the wide, soft canopy bed. He let out two satisfied hums.

Being the top scholar might be risky, but the treatment—now that was something else.

Just this bed alone was probably worth a fortune in silver. Lying on it felt like sinking into a cloud.

Hongmei followed him in. She first arranged the bedding neatly, then checked the windows once more before finally walking to the imperial concubine couch by the window, several zhang away from the bed.

As his personal maid—and watcher—she naturally had to keep vigil close to Li An through the night.

“Blow out the lamp. I’m exhausted,” Li An mumbled as he rolled over and wrapped himself in the quilt.

Hongmei waved her hand, extinguishing the candle. The room was instantly swallowed by darkness, save for the cold silver moonlight spilling in through the window.

Still dressed, she lay down on the couch, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Although she hadn’t personally witnessed what had happened to Li An these past two days, even recording the events had allowed her to sense the danger and thrill involved.

From the heart-stopping moment in the palace examination when he dared to insult ruler and ministers alike, to today’s audacious gamble before the entire court—

Li An, an undercover agent whom the Blackwater Terrace had never placed much hope in, had suddenly risen to become Great Qi’s top scholar. He had even persuaded the emperor of Great Qi to listen to his absurd scheme of “selling official posts.”

And what gnawed at her most was this—

What kind of brilliant stratagem was he hiding?

That was two million taels of silver!

And only ten days to get it!

“Hey, Lone Wolf.”

In the darkness, Hongmei finally couldn’t help but call out.

She used Li An’s codename. When it was just the two of them, she preferred calling him that—it reminded her of her duty.

But there was no response from his side.

“Li An?”

Still nothing.

“Stop pretending to sleep!”

Growing anxious, Hongmei sat up and lowered her voice. “I know you’re not asleep. Your breathing isn’t even—you can’t fool someone trained in martial arts like me.”

Only then did rustling sounds come from the bed, followed by Li An’s faintly helpless sigh.

“Hongmei, you great beauty—if you won’t sleep and won’t let me sleep either, what are you trying to do? We may be cohabiting, but can we at least maintain a pure colleague relationship?”

“Cut the nonsense! ‘Great beauty’? You should address me as Commander Hongmei, understand? I’m your superior!”

Having heard too many of Li An’s frivolous and strange expressions these past two days, she snapped irritably. “I just want to know—how exactly are you going to carry out this plan to sell official posts? You said you won’t use the Blackwater Terrace’s resources. Then what cards do you even have? You barely know any of the capital’s wealthy merchants. How are you going to make them willingly hand over their money?”

Li An had long expected the question, yet deliberately avoided answering it. He yawned instead.

“Commander Hongmei, I already said—this mountain man has his own clever plan. Classified information, you know?”

“I’m your superior! What’s there to keep secret from me?”

She grew more agitated. “If you mess this up, you lose your life and I suffer with you! Tell me what you’re planning!”

“You really want to know?”

“Obviously!”

“Sigh…”

He rolled over, his tone suddenly mysterious. “This matter is huge. It’s not just about how we’ll throw Great Qi’s court into chaos. It also involves some… extremely advanced psychology and business logic. Maybe even the fatal leverage of certain old fossils in court.”

Hongmei’s eyes lit up instantly.

Psychology? Business logic? Fatal leverage?

More strange terms.

But coming from Li An, it all sounded like high-level maneuvering.

Did he really have some master plan up his sleeve?

“Then hurry up and tell me!” she urged.

“Tsk, walls have ears.”

He lowered his voice to a mosquito’s buzz. “You’re so far away—how can I speak loudly? What if there’s an Eastern Depot spy or a brocade-clad guard lurking outside the window? We’d be finished.”

Hongmei frowned. The Blackwater Terrace had already thoroughly inspected this residence—what spy would dare approach?

But to hear his real plan, she endured her impatience. “Then what do you want?”

“Come closer.”

He beckoned. “Come here and I’ll whisper it to you. This is top secret. Can’t be said out loud.”

She hesitated.

Under normal circumstances, any man daring to speak to her like this would already have a sleeve arrow lodged in his chest.

But right now, her mind was full of that two-million-tael earth-shattering scheme.

And after today’s suffocatingly brilliant maneuvers in court, she had to admit—this brat had real ability. Whatever came out of his mouth was bound to be pure substance.

“So troublesome!”

Muttering, she stepped down barefoot and, guided by moonlight, approached his bed.

“There. Speak.”

“Still too far.”

Li An deliberately scooted inward and patted the empty space beside him. “Come up. Lean in and listen. Absolute secrecy—can’t even let the wind carry it.”

Her brows shot up. “Li An! Don’t push your luck! Are you trying to take advantage of me?”

“At a time like this, who’s thinking about that?” he said righteously. “Commander Hongmei! We’re discussing the grand cause of toppling Great Qi! Fighting for Northern Yan’s rise! How can you view this sacred revolutionary friendship with such worldly eyes?”

He sighed in mock disappointment. “Fine, fine. If you don’t trust me, forget it. I’ll just shout it out loud then. If the plan leaks, I’ll say you insisted I speak from far away—”

“You—!”

Her teeth itched with irritation.

But when he invoked “toppling Great Qi” and “Northern Yan’s rise,” those heavy banners weighed on her heart. As a death agent indoctrinated by the Blackwater Terrace since childhood, she found herself genuinely swayed.

Wasn’t it just leaning in to listen?

Warriors of the jianghu didn’t fuss over trifles!

For the mission. For Northern Yan.

Taking a deep breath, she gritted her teeth and sat on the edge of his bed.

“Speak!”

“Lie down. Sitting makes too big a silhouette—might cast shadows outside the window.”

He continued his nonsense persuasion.

She inhaled deeply.

Endured it.

Stiff as a board, she carefully lay sideways on the outer edge of the bed, occupying barely a sliver, fully prepared to kick him off if he dared anything improper.

“Now can you speak?” Her voice remained icy.

“The core of this plan,” he said, leaning closer, “is actually four words.”

The distance between them shrank to less than a finger’s breadth.

She could feel the warmth from his body, and a faint, indescribably pleasant scent.

“What four words?”

She tensed instantly, instinctively drawing her neck back.

“That would be… uh, come a bit closer.”

As he spoke, he naturally slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.

“You want to die?!”

Never having allowed any man such contact, Hongmei’s entire body bristled. Internal energy surged, ready to strike.

“Shh—don’t move! I think there’s movement outside!”

He suddenly whispered urgently into her ear, pressing closer. “Don’t make a sound. Sounds like someone’s on the roof…”

She froze.

The anger vanished at once.

Was someone really watching?

Her killer instincts kicked in. She stopped struggling, held her breath, and listened intently.

On the roof?

Silence. Not even a cat.

Yet in that split second of distraction, their posture had become deeply intimate.

His arm tightly encircled her slender waist, his chest pressed against her back.

Raised within the cold discipline of the Blackwater Terrace, she had known only weapons and rigid training. Such closeness between a man and woman was utterly foreign.

Wherever his breath brushed her, it felt like fire.

“Is there anyone or not?” Her voice trembled slightly; her cheeks burned.

“Seems like they left…”

He murmured near her ear, making no move to release her. “That shampoo—uh, that soapberry scent—smells nice.”

“Li An! Speak properly!” she growled through clenched teeth.

“Fine, fine.”

Still holding her in that ambiguous embrace, he began his serious nonsense:

“Analyzing the situation, those old fossils in court won’t let this go. Prime Minister Wang Fu, with that scheming face of his, will spread rumors that my appointment isn’t legitimate. Grand Commandant Sun Qian, a brute, will probably intimidate anyone buying posts. And those aristocratic families? No need to say—they’ll organize a collective boycott…”

He spoke with clarity and precision.

At first distracted by her flustered state, Hongmei gradually found herself drawn into his analysis.

This brat really saw things clearly!

“With so many obstacles, how will you respond?” she couldn’t help asking.

“How?”

A sly smile curved his lips. “Their obstruction? Normal. Standard tactics. What we’ll do is… dimensionality reduction strike.”

“Dimensionality reduction strike? What sect’s martial art is that?”

“It’s… a very advanced tactic.”

He continued to bluff. “The more they obstruct and spread rumors, the more they fall into my trap. Then I’ll show them what real divide-and-conquer means, what it means to cut off the firewood beneath the cauldron, what it means to—huff… huff…”

As he talked, his voice grew softer and softer—until it turned into steady, even snoring.

Hongmei: “???”

She was listening right at the crucial moment!

And he just fell asleep?

“Hey! Li An! Wake up!”

Hongmei was so furious she felt like coughing up blood. “What do you mean ‘defeat them one by one’? What do you mean ‘pull the firewood from under the cauldron’? Finish your sentence!”

But Li An didn’t budge at all. Instead, as if dreaming about something delicious, he smacked his lips twice, tightened his arms, and wrapped himself around Hongmei like an octopus.

“Mm… such big steamed buns… so tasty…”

Listening to his incoherent sleep talk and feeling that suffocatingly tight embrace, Hongmei was overwhelmed with both embarrassment and anger.

If this were her usual temper, Li An would have already been kicked under the bed with three broken ribs by now.

But in this moment, in the faint moonlight filtering through the window, she looked at the face so close to hers.

Asleep, Li An lacked the roguish laziness he carried during the day. Instead, he looked quieter—almost boyish.

The hand Hongmei had raised paused in midair.

“This guy… he must have been exhausted these past two days.”

She thought silently to herself.

After all, he was just a frail scholar. First risking his life in the palace examination, then verbally battling the entire court, and on top of that racking his brains to scheme about how to undermine Great Qi’s national fortune.

To complete the mission of the Blackwater Terrace, he had truly exhausted himself, body and mind.

“Fine. For the sake of your hard work for the country, I’ll spare you tonight.”

Hongmei let out a soft sigh and lowered her hand.

She tried to pry Li An’s arms away and quietly slip back to her own couch.

But whether he was truly asleep or just pretending, his grip was astonishingly strong. No matter what, he simply wouldn’t let go.

After struggling several times without success, Hongmei grew tired too.

Her mind was still turning over the phrase “dimensionality reduction strike”—what kind of peerless military strategy was that? As she pondered, her eyelids began to droop.

Forget it. I’ll just let him hold me for a while. When he’s fully asleep and loosens his grip, I’ll leave…

With that hazy thought, her body gradually relaxed. Finding a comfortable position in Li An’s arms, she drifted into a deep sleep as well.

…

That night, the two in the Top Scholar’s Residence slept in each other’s embrace, each dreaming their own sweet dreams.

Meanwhile, at another secret Blackwater Terrace stronghold in the capital, someone was so furious he couldn’t sleep at all.

“Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!”

Han Zhao’s face was livid as he paced back and forth in the secret chamber, gripping a folding fan in his hand. He couldn’t decide whether to open it or close it, and in the end he slammed it onto the table with a sharp crack.

Across from him sat a plump middle-aged man dressed like a wealthy merchant. This man was the Blackwater Terrace’s Governor stationed in the Great Qi capital, code-named “God of Wealth.”

“Lord God of Wealth! Just listen to the nonsense Li An spouted in court!”

Han Zhao began his indignant accusation. “He actually wants to help the Qi Emperor raise military funds! And sell official posts! Two million taels! If he really raises that money, and the border troops of Great Qi get that breath of support, how many more of our Northern Yan soldiers will die? If this isn’t aiding the enemy, what is?”

“I say Li An is clearly a traitor! He’s already defected! Or maybe just to save his own life, he’s completely thrown himself into Great Qi’s camp!”

The more Han Zhao spoke, the more agitated he became. He rushed in front of the God of Wealth. “Please issue an order at once to execute that villain! Or send word home immediately so my father can impeach him and make sure he never rises again!”

The God of Wealth listened with a gentle smile, idly rolling two jade walnuts in his hand.

After Han Zhao finished venting, he finally spoke leisurely. “Young Master Han, calm down. Have some tea and cool your temper.”

“How can I drink tea at a time like this?!” Han Zhao snapped.

“Heh. Young Master Han, I understand your feelings.”

The God of Wealth took out an extremely thin silk handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it over. “However, a reply has already come from home. And it is an instruction personally issued by your father, Prime Minister Han.”

“Oh?”

Han Zhao’s face lit up with delight as he snatched the silk. “Father is wise and farsighted. He must have seen through Li An’s scheme. Has he ordered us to act immediately?”

He hurriedly unfolded the silk and read it by lamplight.

But after just one glance, the smile on his face froze.

Then came utter disbelief.

“This… this must be fake? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

Han Zhao cried out, “How could Father… how could he give such an order?”

On the silk were several lines written in cipher that only Blackwater Terrace’s upper ranks could decipher:

【Li An’s plan is excellent. Though raising funds appears to aid the enemy, in truth it disrupts governance. Once the selling of offices begins, Great Qi’s official system will collapse, and the people’s hearts will scatter. This is the ultimate strategy of pulling the firewood from beneath the cauldron.】

【Though Li An mistakenly became Top Scholar, he now holds high rank and greater power to cause destruction than ever before. Record this as a great merit!】

【Effective immediately, promote Li An to “Special Grade Secret Agent” of the Blackwater Terrace, rank of Third Grade. All covert operatives in the capital must cooperate with his actions. Thousand-Household Commander Hongmei shall assist him personally, without error.】

And what shattered Han Zhao the most was the final line:

【My son Han Zhao, though talented, still lacks broader vision. During your stay in the capital, you shall obey Li An’s orders and assist him in completing the great enterprise of ruining the state. There must be no disobedience.】

“Ob… obey him?”

Han Zhao’s hand trembled, and the silk slipped to the floor.

He felt as though his entire world had collapsed.

He, the dignified son of the Prime Minister—originally destined to be Great Qi’s Top Scholar—had not only been overshadowed by that scoundrel, but now had to become his subordinate? Take orders from him?

“I, Han Zhao, will never obey such a lowly man.”

His face burned with rage, yet he looked on the verge of tears.

The God of Wealth smiled and patted his shoulder. “Young Master Han, the Prime Minister’s foresight is beyond our comprehension. Though Li An behaves unpredictably, these moves of his are truly unconventional. Since the Prime Minister has already given the order, we subordinates need only carry it out.”

Han Zhao’s lips twitched. “…”

…

The next morning.

The eastern sky had only just begun to pale when the entire capital exploded with rumors.

Just as Li An had predicted, rumors rise even earlier than roosters at dawn.

In every teahouse and tavern, before the storytellers had even begun their performances, early tea drinkers were already chatting animatedly.

“Hey, have you heard? The new Top Scholar, Lord Li, is the reincarnation of the Star of Literature! Yesterday in the Golden Throne Hall, he scolded the entire court bloody to raise military funds for Great Qi—and even forced the Emperor to sell official posts!”

“That’s right! I heard the Emperor personally approved the sale of offices and put the Top Scholar in charge. They’re even announcing it nationwide—fair and square for all!”

“Seriously? You can buy official posts with money?”

“Of course it’s true! But I heard from a relative in the palace—don’t buy one! It’s a trap! Even if you buy it, it’s just a nominal post. You’ll still get bullied inside!”

“Exactly! I heard all the current officials have colluded. Anyone who buys a post becomes the enemy of the entire court. You’ll be sabotaged and squeezed out!”

In the streets, true and false news alike flew everywhere.

Some praised Li An as a patriotic hero; others cursed him as a national disaster. And clearly, certain aristocratic families were spreading rumors to scare off genuine potential buyers.

Before Li An’s “Fundraising Office” had even opened its doors, its reputation had already spread to every corner of the capital.

…

At this very moment.

On the large bed in the Top Scholar’s Residence, Li An was enjoying one of the sweetest sleeps of his life.

In his dream, he seemed to be holding a soft, fragrant cloud. The texture felt incredibly good.

As sunlight streamed through the window lattice and landed on his face, the brightness gradually awakened his soul.

Ding!

【A new day begins!】

【News of selling offices spreads; rumors abound in the streets】

【All say the Emperor is foolish and incompetent, favoring the new Top Scholar. Great Qi is in peril!】

【Public sentiment unsettled! National Fortune -100】

【Current Great Qi National Fortune: 87,856】

【National Fortune change this cycle: -144】

【Estimated settlement reward: 14,400 taels of gold】

【Time remaining: 27 days】

Awakened by the system’s notification, Li An frowned slightly and slowly stirred from sleep.

Whoa! Good news first thing in the morning.

National fortune down by one hundred… that’s immediately one hundred thousand taels of gold credited!

His consciousness was gradually returning, but he didn’t rush to open his eyes. Subconsciously, he didn’t want to leave that warm softness.

But…

Wait.

Why does this feel so real?

Soft. Bouncy. And carrying the warmth of thirty-seven and a half degrees.

This isn’t some cloud from a dream?

Still half-asleep, Li An wiggled his fingers and instinctively gave the soft mass another squeeze, as if confirming the material.

Mm. Excellent texture. Absolutely top-grade…

And at that very instant—

The once-docile “cloud” in his arms suddenly stiffened.

Then a surge of killing intent exploded beneath the covers, almost tangible.

Li An’s eyes snapped open.

He found himself staring straight into a pair of beautiful eyes filled with embarrassment, shock, and overwhelming murderous fury.

It was Hongmei.

Thousand-Household Commander Hongmei of Northern Yan’s Blackwater Terrace.

Their faces were less than half an inch apart, their breaths mingling.

Even worse, Li An’s hand was still recklessly clutching a certain indescribable place.

The air froze.

Li An blinked innocently, his mind racing. In that split second, he had already composed countless possible opening lines for his last words.

Then he saw Hongmei take a deep breath. Her pretty face flushed bright red. Her red lips parted, and she let out a cry filled with humiliation and rage:

“Li—An!!! I’m going to kill you!!!”